Today I visited (again) the Shipwreck Galleries (Museum) at Fremantle, Western Australia and spent some time examining the Xantho steam engine under restoration. SS Xantho sank off WA in 1872. This 7.5 tonne trunk engine built in England was truly a "stationary" engine until recently. It was first recovered in 1983 and the restoration has been ongoing since that time, much of the time in treatment baths, somewhat similar to the Mary Rose project, but including electrolytic treatment with which we are familiar. From a solid lump of concretion the engine was eventually made to rotate and all parts were fully dismantled. They have built a working model to show the action and construction of a trunk engine. Details of the engine and its restoration may be seen at:
Jack Watson